KUALA LUMPUR (July 19): The use of technology by governments to monitor and manage citizens has been accelerated by the pandemic, as contact-tracing apps are widely introduced to keep people safe from Covid-19.

Aside from the pandemic, the use of technology like smart CCTVs with facial recognition technology, which features largely in smart city plans, or biometric verification to access governmental services have been picking up globally.

Most of these technologies are introduced for ostensibly good reason, which is to keep citizens safe from danger.

However, it also places a lot of data — location, travel history, personal and facial — in the hands of the government.

If this is not managed properly, these technologies could go down the slippery slope of being used as surveillance technologies to monitor citizens and coerce behaviours, resulting in a police state.

The dangers abound, especially in countries with a weak track record for rule of law and where human rights violations are no big deal.

What do you need to know about how your data is being used and stored and how can you take pre-emptive action against abuse?

Read all about it in the latest issue of DigitalEdge, out with the July 19 issue of The Edge Malaysia weekly.

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